How to Transfer Car Registration: Process, Cost & Documents Required

Learn all about Car RC Transfer - within State and Inter-State

Selling your car?

Then, transferring the registration of your car to a new owner is mandated by the law, be it within the state, or from one state to another.

When you sell your car, you are transferring its ownership to the buyer. To substantiate the same, you will need to transfer the car registration to this new buyer.

There are a few circumstances under which this transfer of car registration might be required. These are –

Transfer of registration if the vehicle is purchased by someone else.
Transfer in case of the death of its previous owner.
Transfer of vehicle ownership in an auction.

Further, this transfer of ownership can also be within the state or interstate.

You must note both types of transfer in detail along with their particular procedures, documents required and fees which are discussed in details in the sections below.

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Car RC Transfer Within same State

Irrespective of the circumstance of transfer of car ownership, there are several documents that are required in the process to transfer RC of car. It is crucial that you note the following steps for transfer of car RC along with the list of documents meticulously, especially since different steps of this transfer have varied document requirements.

Documents Required for Car RC Transfer within same State

a) For Agreement of the Sale from a Notary

Typically during vehicle sale, 2 forms are required. These are Form 29 and 30. Among these 2 forms, you must submit 2 copies of Form 29 along with just one copy of Form 30 to your local RTO (Regional Transport Office).

In case there has been any external financing by any lending institution, you must also present Form 35 along with a No Objection Certificate from the lender. Further, Form 32 will be necessary in case of transfer of car RC through an auction.

Additionally, the documents listed underneath are also required to complete a transfer of RC of a vehicle.

Documents that Need to be Submitted from the Seller’s End:

Original RC.
Insurance policy (you should check the validity of the policy).
Letter for Clearance Certificate.
Copy of PUC (Pollution under Control Certificate).
Road tax-related documents from the relevant RTO.
Copy of relevant delivery note of the vehicle.
Owner’s manual of the vehicle which is being sold.
All warranty related documents.
Service history.
Copy of the original invoice of the concerned vehicle.

Documents to be Retained by a Seller:

Signed sales agreement.
Your KYC documents along with address proof.
Demand Draft copy or cheque.

In case you are selling a vehicle, you should also keep the following documents with yourself at least till the time your vehicle is completely transferred to its new owner. Even after that, it is advisable to maintain a folder for all these documents listed below.

Copy of insurance policy and original RC documents.
Copies of Form 29 and Form 30. In case there has been a No Objection Certificate, copy of Form 28 must be kept too.
Tax-related documents of the concerned vehicle from relevant RTO.

b) Documents for Clearance Certificate (CC) Application:

A new buyer must present the following documents to the RTO where his/her vehicle was originally registered while applying for the CC of their newly bought vehicle.

Request letter for CC.
Original RC.
Copy of the original insurance documents. Buyers should check to ensure that they are valid.
Copy of PUC.
A self-addressed envelope which has stamps worth Rs.30 affixed on them. This is used by the RTO to send the CC (This envelope must be attached only if you are applying offline).

c) Documents for Ownership Transfer

Buyers must present the following documents to their local RTO to complete their transfer of vehicle registration.

2 copies of Form 29.
Notice of ownership transfer.
Original RC.
Copy of valid car insurance policy.
Copy of PUC.
Address proof.
Copy of PAN card.
Original Clearance Certificate.
1 copy of a passport-sized photograph.
A self-addressed envelope with Rs.30’s worth of stamps affixed (Again, this envelope is required only in case of offline application).

Car Registration Transfer Process - within same State

Car RC Transfer Process - Online

The offline transfer procedure can be split into 3 major steps. These are discussed in proper chronology, and you can simply follow them to complete your transfer.

Agreement of sale before notary: Payment details including mode of payment, condition of the vehicle, the status of RC, insurance policy details, etc. must be completed and recorded by the notary. As a seller, you should sign the forms only after receiving complete payment.
Application for Clearance Certificate: The relevant documents should be checked and attested by a superintendent from the relevant RTO before submission. This step does not include any fee and is generally completed within 30 days. The CC will be sent to the buyer via mail.
Application for ownership transfer: After submitting all the documents listed above, usually the procedure is completed by an RTO within 30 days. In case there is some discrepancy in the documents, the buyer might be summoned along with you, the seller, to produce other required documents.

Fees: The fees for offline RC transfer of a vehicle depend on the RTO and the state. Typically it is between Rs.300 and Rs.500, though in places where smart cards have not yet been introduced this cost can come down further.

Car RC Transfer Process - Offline

Once you have got the hang of all documents involved in car registration transfer process, the steps for online transfer are quite easy to follow. These online steps are explained below.

The first thing to do is to visit the online RTO website. This depends on the state where you reside.

Click on “online services” and move on to “vehicle-related services” tab. You have to input the vehicle registration number here.
After proceeding to the next step, numerous options like RC transfer, verification, NOC issue, etc. are provided.
After selecting car RC transfer online, registration number along with chassis number must be put in. You must also put in your cell phone number, followed by an OTP sent at this same number.
Next, all details of the vehicle are displayed on the screen. You must choose from options like “transfer of ownership”, “duplicate RC”, “change of address”, etc.
After selecting “transfer of ownership”, the owner serial number must be put in carefully. Under normal circumstances it is going to be 2, though in case this vehicle has been sold before, the number must be put in accordingly.
Every buyer must put in their name in the column for the new owner. Owner category and other details like an insurance policy, PUC, etc. must be put in as well.
After completion of these above steps, you must pay the relevant fee for the whole procedure. It includes smart card, transfer fees, and much other allied expenditure. Online payment options are available.
2 payment receipts are generated along with the forms 29 and 30.
These must be printed and signed.
After completion of this whole procedure, all the above documents have to be sent to the RTO office. It can be dropped in person or sent via mail.

If there is no discrepancy in these documents, typically the transfer of RC is completed within 3-4 weeks. In case of discrepancy, RTO might summon both the buyer and the seller to verify their documents.

Fees: The car RC transfer fees vary from one state to another, depending on the specific costs as well as regulations implemented by RTOs. For instance, in the case of New Delhi RTO, this cost is Rs.530.

Car RC Transfer - Inter-State

The procedure to transfer RC of car from one state to another, though not as complicated as a transfer of ownership, still requires quite a few documents. These documents, as well as the procedure involved, are discussed below in detail.

The basic requirements are the same over different states, though the fees vary depending on the state or union territory. It is vital to understand this procedure, which includes quite a few steps and is similar in any RTO across India.

Documents Required for Inter-State Car RC Transfer

With multiple steps in transferring RC, there are quite a few sets of documents required for car registration transfer across state lines. Assuming there are no existing financial liabilities, the different sets of documents which are required are listed below.

Firstly, you must apply for a NOC from your RTO, followed by application to the new RTO where you are moving your vehicle. Additionally, you should also file for a refund of road tax since you have to pay these taxes again during the re-registration process.

Documents Required for NOC from RTO

While attaining NOC from your old RTO where your vehicle is registered, you must present the following documents.

Forms 27 and 28.
Existing registration certificate, insurance policy documents, tax documents, and PUC.
Original chassis imprint.
Copies of CMV Form 28.
An optional document is NOC from the local police station. Even though this is not a mandatory document, it can speed up this process of transfer.

While some of these documents are necessary for the next step, a few other documents must also be arranged.

Documents Required to Re-Register in New RTO

Next, you must arrange these documents listed below, irrespective of whether it is an online transfer of car registration or offline.

Copy of original RC.
Copy of insurance policy of your vehicle.
NOC received from your old RTO.
Form 29 and 30 for re-registration.
PUC certificate.
Photo identity proof and local address proof.
A self-addressed envelope with stamps worth Rs.30 (This last requirement is necessary for offline transfers).

Documents which are Necessary to File for a Refund of Road Taxes

You should not miss this step, especially since this can save a lot of money while transferring registration of a vehicle across state borders.

Application for refund of road tax.
Self-attested RTO Form 16.
Copy of new RC (new registration number is vital).
Copy of old RC (old registration number is also necessary so that the RTO can check past payment of road tax).
Insurance policy documents and certificate with the new registration number.
Photo identity proof and address details.

Arranging all the sets of documents mentioned is not possible since you will receive a few of these documents only after the first application.

Car Registration Transfer Process - Inter-State

The procedure to transfer car RC online is expected to be launched soon. Currently, many minor process or status of an application can be checked online even though the application must be completed offline.

The steps for transferring car registration offline are discussed below in detail.

Filing the first set of documents to the RTO where your vehicle was originally registered is the first step while transferring RC. Once the NOC is received, authorities will be adequately informed of the transfer making the next steps far easier.
Depending on the RTO where you are registering your vehicle, you can have 6 months to a year of time to re-register your car. It is important that you check the expiry date of NOC to avoid a hassle in completing the transfer to a different state.

After submission of the application form and relevant documents mentioned in the second set above, RTOs usually issue the new registration number and smart card (or blue book) within a few days.

The final step of claiming the refund of road tax is vital to ensure that you have not paid the same charge across 2 states. While re-registration fees include road tax charges, the same charges were already paid during the first registration.

Consequently, after completion of registration, you should file for a refund with the third set of documents mentioned above.

After filing, the new RTO requests the old RTO for authentication. This involves CRTI, and the actual refund process begins only when the first RTO receives CRTI.

Typically, the refund of road tax is a lengthy process and can take up to 6 months.

Fees: The car registration transfer fee varies over different states since it also consists of the road tax along with a few other ancillary expenses. While it is as low as Rs.1500 in Haryana, it can go up as in case of UP where it stands at Rs.10,000.

While both types of car registration transfer are discussed above, you must keep in mind a few additional things as well. In case there is a lender or financer involved, you must obtain their NOC too.

Additionally, depending on the exact location and the RTOs involved, you should also check the specific fees for the transfer.

It is also imperative that you check the minor details like dates involved, minor charges, etc. to avoid any chance of unnecessary expenditure.

FAQs about Car Registration Transfer

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Is it better to avail an agent to facilitate the transfer faster?

Under normal circumstances availing an agent makes the process faster though the charges are generally exorbitant. Consequently, it is best to complete the procedure yourself since it also helps you understand the different laws and regulations which concern your vehicle.

What will happen if a transfer is not authenticated with the authorities?

In case of transfer of ownership, not transferring the RC makes the sale null and void before the eyes of the authority. In case of transferring a vehicle from one state to another, generally, 1 year is granted to complete the transfer. Beyond this time period, you will be liable to pay specific charges as late fees.

What happens if I am availing financing for the vehicle to be sold?

If you avail any financing, you must produce relevant forms like Form 35 along with NOC from the respective financial institution before transferring ownership or the registration to a different state.